VC106Vapor Control Systems John Zink Company Background
Reforming Furnaces
Slide 2
2013 John Zink Company, LLC 2 Top-Fired Reformer Consists of a
firebox containing anywhere from 1 to several rows of tubes Process
gas flows downward through the catalyst filled tubes Burners are
located in between the tube rows in the top of the firebox &
are located at one level (above grade) Tubes are heated by
radiation from the flames, flue gas and some convective effects
Process gas and flue gas flow is co-current with both exiting at
the bottom of the firebox (allows for rapid heating of the
hydrocarbon steam mixture) Additional heat recovery takes place in
the convection section which is typically located at grade This
type of furnace arrangement can accommodate small to very large
capacities within a single firebox
Slide 3
2013 John Zink Company, LLC 3 Top-Fired Reformer
Catalyst-filled process tube (typical) Downfired burner (typical)
Flue gas exhaust Process flow
Slide 4
2013 John Zink Company, LLC 4 Side-Fired Reformer Side fired
reformer consists of catalyst tubes positioned in a single row
along the centerline of the firebox Due to the layout, this type of
furnace arrangement results in a long narrow firebox Burners are
located at multiple levels on the two sidewalls of the firebox and
evenly distributed over the entire wall Tubes are heated by
radiation from the walls, flue gas and, to a small extent,
convective effects Process gas flow through the catalyst tubes is
downward while the flue gas flow is upward For large capacities, it
is common to have multiple fireboxes located side by side sharing a
common inlet distribution and outlet collection system & waste
heat recovery section
Slide 5
2013 John Zink Company, LLC 5 Side-Fired Reformer
Catalyst-filled process tube (typical) Side-fired burner (typical)
Flue gas exhaust Process flow
Slide 6
2013 John Zink Company, LLC 6 Terrace-Wall Fired Reformer A
refinement of the sidewall fired reformer in that many of the
salient features previously described are similar, but with 2 major
differences: number of burners type of burners Typically uses 2
levels of firing & therefore results in fewer burners for a
given capacity Primary objective is to allow a controlled
temperature profile along the length of the tube
Slide 7
2013 John Zink Company, LLC 7 Terrace-Wall Fired Reformer
Catalyst-filled process tube (typical) Upfired burner (typical)
Flue gas exhaust Process flow